2011 DRI Law Student Diversity Scholarship Award

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[attachimg=1] DRI announces its annual Law Student Diversity Scholarship program open to incoming second and third-year African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pan Asian and Native American students.
•   Incoming second and third-year female law students are also eligible, regardless of race or ethnicity.
•   Incoming second and third-year law students who also come from backgrounds that would add to the cause of diversity, regardless of race or gender are eligible to apply.
•   Students who are members of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), Law School or Law Student members of AAJ or students otherwise affiliated with or employed by AAJ are not eligible for DRI Law Student Diversity Scholarships.
•   To qualify for this scholarship, candidate must be a full-time student or evening student who has completed two-thirds or more of the total credit hours requirement for a degree by the applicant's law school.
•   The goal of these scholarships is to provide financial assistance to two worthy law students from ABA accredited law schools in order to promote, in a tangible way, the DRI Diversity Statement in Principle.

Two scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be awarded to applicants who best meet the following criteria:
•   Demonstrated academic excellence
•   Service to the profession
•   Service to the community
•   Service to the cause of diversity

Applications must include three recommendations, one each from the following individuals:
A) The Dean or an Associate Dean of the student's law school
B) A current or past law professor
C) An individual who is personally acquainted with the applicant, but who is not related by blood line or adoption.

Additionally, each applicant must include a cover letter with their application. In that cover letter each applicant should identify his or her academic, personal and/or professional accomplishments and how those accomplishments qualify him or her for DRI's Law Student Diversity Scholarship award.

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Essay Requirements

In addition to submitting the attached application and required recommendations, applicants must complete an essay of no more than 1,000 words based upon the following question:

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide two separate suits in which foreign product manufacturers are contesting the state courts' exercise of personal jurisdiction over them. The Court will decide, among other things, if a company's mere awareness that a product could wind up in a state is sufficient to establish personal jurisdiction, or if companies must purposefully direct their products toward a state to warrant the exercise of personal jurisdiction. If the Court concludes that foreign manufacturers can or cannot be sued in any state in which the product is sold, absent direct contacts with the forum, what impact might that ruling have on product liability litigation defense?

Essays must be submitted in hard copy, double-spaced, typed pages with copy on only one side of each page.

Application and Submission Deadline

Applications and all other requested materials must be received by April 27, 2011. Scholarship winners will be notified in advance and officially announced at the DRI Diversity for Success Seminar, June 16-17, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

All applications, essays and required materials must be submitted in hard copy format to:

Tyler Howes, Deputy Executive Director
DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
55 West Monroe Street, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60603

Deadline: April 27, 2011

Source: 2011 DRI Law Student Diversity Scholarships.

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